1.1 KiB
Controlling Severe Bleeding
Uncontrolled bleeding kills faster than almost anything else you can treat in the field. Minutes matter.
Direct pressure first
Press hard, directly on the wound, with whatever clean material you have. Do not lift the dressing to check — that breaks the clot you just formed. Add layers on top instead.
Tourniquets
If direct pressure does not control arterial bleeding from a limb, apply a tourniquet. Place it 2 to 3 inches above the wound, never directly over a joint. Tighten until the bleeding stops, which will hurt.
Write the time of application on the tourniquet or on the patient's forehead. This single piece of information drives every decision made downstream of you.
Do not loosen or remove a tourniquet once it is applied. That is a decision for someone with surgical capability.
Wound packing
For a deep wound in a junctional area where a tourniquet cannot be placed — the groin, the armpit, the neck — pack the wound tightly with gauze and hold firm pressure for a full 3 minutes before reassessing.